The UbuCon Was a Blast!

What a weekend. The UbuCon turned out better than I could have possibly imagined. With little promotion, not to mention a minimum of planning, at least 60 and possibly up to 70 total showed up to discuss various topics, mostly specific to Ubuntu but also about Linux and free software in general. A huge huge show of gratitude goes out to Leslie Hawthorn, who spared no effort in making sure that things went swimmingly on the conference host side. Google was a splendid host (and many remarked how the food was top-notch), and Leslie put some great finishing touches at the site - handy signs directing people to the right place, food layout, and just being an all-around cool person.

I could write up a description of the conference, but someone already beat me to it, and I couldn't possibly do a better job than that. So, I'll just note that the speaker and session lists are now complete if you visit the UbuCon schedule. You can also find Corey Burger's UbuCon writeup here.

Oh, and look, Andrey posted pictures!

Group shot:



Thanks go out to all the speakers who pitched in, some of whom did so at the very last minute.

Also, a special thanks goes out to whiprush, binbrain, and Chris D. who all stepped in and saved the conference when it was in danger of dying.

And finally, here are the companies who contributed time, money, and/or people:

1. Google - Absolutely fantastic hosts. Thank you, Chris and Leslie. Donated food, rooms, and people time. In addition to Leslie, there were two other Googlers who showed up at 8am on Friday to help out. (when I get their names, I'll add it here)

2. Canonical - It was great to see them at LinuxWorld and The UbuCon. Didn't get to meet the crazy spaceman (har har) but I got to meet Jane, Matt, Malcolm, and another gentleman whose name I cannot recall. They donated a bunch of CD's and on Friday afternoon came in with boatloads of t-shirts for everyone.

And in alpha order:

No Starch Press - donated 5 copies of Ubuntu for Non-geeks
Open Country - donated some snazzy screwdriver kits. At least 3 of them attended, and Christian H. spoke on Saturday.
O'Reilly Media - donated 10 copies of Ubuntu Hacks